Neverland Away
by Preciousss
Summary: Peter and Wendy's lives can never be the same now that they've met each other... but they can always pretend. Please read and review. his chapter Peter makes a choice once and for all regarding his future. Slightly edited: JM Barrie quote added, etc.
1. Home

Neverland Away  
  
Basically, this story picks up about two years after the end of the 2003 movie, but instead of never seeing each other again Wendy goes to Neverland every year for spring cleaning.  
  
Chapter 1: Home  
  
Wendy sat at her desk. Half scribbled on paper lay partly crumpled all around her. She was trying to write her thoughts down, to tell a story on paper. She hadnÕt told a story in a long time. Ever since she got her own room, things had been different.  
  
She wasnÕt angry at her parents. She understood their reasoning. A girl sharing a room with all those boys? Ridiculous, absurd even. At least thatÕs what her aunt had said. And it was true. Why it was true, she didnÕt quite understand, it was just common knowledge that it was. Growing girls just did not share rooms with boys.  
  
Wendy groaned. She didnÕt know what words to write, or what story to tell. Was she losing her imagination?, she wondered with despair. Did growing up mean forgetting your dreams? If it did, then Wendy was sure she hadnÕt grown up. Not yet.  
  
Every night she went to sleep thinking about Peter. She thought about Neverland, and Tinkerbell, and how long until Spring Cleaning would come around again.  
  
It was almost worse, dreaming about Neverland and watching as the flowers bloomed, signaling that spring had begun. A year had passed since the last time Peter brought her back to Neverland. Actually, it was a year and a day, and the anticipation was tying her stomach into knots. When would Peter come and take her away?   
  
Yes, the waiting was killing her.  
  
She looked out the window. Every night sheÕd search the night sky, trying to remember which was the second star to the right. The one that was the home of Peter. But starting from what other star? She couldnÕt remember. Had Peter even ever told her? It didnÕt matter really, all that mattered was that she knew that maybe, just maybe, she was looking at *that* star. The one where Peter lived, and dreams were born. It gave her a feeling of comfort and loss, knowing: the second star was always just a Neverland away.  
  
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The clock, Peter recognized it. He was almost there, at WendyÕs house.  
  
They all looked the same, little London apartments. Some had a light on, sure, or a fancy lace curtain, or a red painted door, but honestly, speeding by through the air you couldnÕt tell a lace curtain from a cotton one, and it didnÕt really matter, he'd know when he found the Darling home. Still, he had to pay careful attention to make sure he didnÕt miss it and pass right on by.   
  
Suddenly, he spotted it. Like all the others on the quite nighttime street, but entirely different. That house was the one where Wendy lived.  
  
He flew down quickly, straight to the nursery window. Then he remembered, she was no longer in the nursery. The first time he came back, after he had left the lost boys and her to go back home to Neverland, he had found out she had moved.  
  
Her new window was not as big, but it was always unlocked, waiting for him to open it. He flew around to the back of the house. Where WendyÕs room was.  
  
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WendyÕs attention was once again on her blank sheet of paper. ÔOnce upon a timeÕ she started, before angrily crumbling up the paper. It was no good. Nothing was.  
  
She decided to think about Peter again. Well, not decide, exactly, thatÕs just where her mind went. ThatÕs where it always went. She imagined that Peter had come back, and that he was floating outside her window, waiting to take her away. She didnÕt know why she was imagining him staring at her like that, and why suddenly a huge smile that was almost a smirk broke out across his face. Not until she realized she wasnÕt imagining at all, and that she was smiling back.  
  
TBC  
  
Please review, let me know how to improve, but be nice! Thank you! 


	2. Spring Cleaning

Neverland Away  
  
Chapter 2: Spring Cleaning  
  
Stars were rushing past her, their light whizzing by her head like fireflies. Except, she was the one who was flying, and they were staying perfectly still. She was weightless and free, and felt as if nothing could hold her down or damper her spirits.  
  
Nothing could, really, she was with Peter, heading back towards Neverland, the place where you didn't have to worry about what was proper or scandalous, or right or wrong. All you had to worry about was... well, she couldn't think of anything really. Hook was gone, and even when he was there, he was less of a worry, and more of an adventure.  
  
An adventure. That's what she was looking for, that's what she was missing... but not for long.  
  
"Hold on!" Peter cried.  
  
Wendy smiled and grabbed hold of Peter's leg. This was her favorite part, she knew they were almost there.   
  
Peter looked back and smiled at her. "Here we go!" He shouted as they sped up.  
  
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The sun was rising, casting golden light all over the island. Sunlight was reflecting on the waves, making the water twinkle like the stars they'd just returned from. Peter landed on a fluffy golden cloud, quickly followed by Wendy.  
  
"Since last time you were here, they got more organized." Peter warned her.  
  
Wendy was baffled as to what he was talking about, he spoke to her as if they had been in the middle of a conversation.  
  
"What" Wendy asked "on earth are you talking about?"  
  
Peter turned and flashed her a devilish smile. "We're not on earth, silly... and the pirates, they're what I'm talking about. Remember last time Smee and Clawfoot were fighting over who would be the new captain?" Wendy nodded, and Peter continued "Well, they agreed to be co-captains."  
  
"Smee's idea, I'm sure." Wendy said smiling.  
  
Peter looked at her and smiled back. They stayed there, simply smiling at each other for a moment, until a cherry pie came flying through the air, right between them, nearly hitting Wendy in the face. This made Tinkerbell, who was just reaching them, very amused.  
  
"What in the...?" Wendy asked flabbergasted.  
  
"Well, Smee was worried someone might get hurt if they kept on using cannons. Come on, let's hurry up and get out of here before you're lovely clothing gets all dirtied up." Peter said teasingly.  
  
Wendy indigently flared up "I don't care about that!" she cried.  
  
"Oh really? I bet you brush your hair every day!"  
  
Wendy looked at Peter, who seemed to believe he'd just made some huge point. "Peter," she said, trying not to laugh "I've always brushed my hair every day."  
  
This got Peter even more excited "Oh yeah? What about when you were a baby?!"  
  
"When I was a baby I didn't have any hair."  
  
"So I bet you didn't brush it!" Peter smirked and flew off heading towards the tree where he and the Lost Boys used to live. Wendy flew off after him, just missing a blueberry muffin, and trying to call out after him to make him understand that she was right, and he was wrong. Tinkerbell, who was flying along right beside her, gave Wendy a triumphant smile that said "You lost, he won, so ha!"  
  
Once Wendy finally reached the tree and climbed inside she was confronted with Peter lying smugly on his bed.  
  
"What took you so long, slow poke?"  
  
"What are you in such a hurry for, fast poke?" she asked him calmly "You know, in London, the only people ever in a hurry are grown-ups."  
  
The last statement made Peter more upset than she would have expected. "I'm not a grown-up!" He shouted, jumping up off the bed and floating in the air. "Don't talk about that. Grown-ups and grown-up talk don't belong here!"  
  
Wendy flinched and stepped back. She tried to stay reasonable, but was a little surprised and embarrassed by his outburst. "You know, Peter," she started tentatively "someday I'll grow up... will I no longer be allowed?"  
  
Peter was quiet for a minute. Wendy was afraid he would say something like "No, in a couple of years I'll do spring cleaning for myself, or maybe I'll get Tiger Lily to come and do it for me. She'll never grow old!"  
  
Finally, however, he spoke. "Stop it Wendy" He said looking away. "Stop it. You won't grow up! We can be kids forever!" He was getting louder, and more exited "Forever! Isn't that good enough for you?" and then, suddenly, his voice was barely a whisper "Wendy, why isn't that good enough for you?" His eyes met hers. There were no tears in them, but there was pain, and loss. The look grown ups have when their dreams die.  
  
Wendy didn't know what to say, what had just happened was unexpected to say the least. The response was made harder by the fact that almost every day she second guessed herself, wondering if she had made the right choice. "IÐ" she started "It's not that-that it's not good enough. I have a life, Peter. Family and friends that I love. I can't just leave them."  
  
"The Lost Boys did. They just left Tink, and me, and the pirates, and the Indians, and their home!"  
  
Neverland was different now, without them. That's what Peter had decided was the cause of the feelings he was sometimes having. The ones that told him make-believe was not enough. But it was, any child knew that. And even while he was telling himself it was the empty bunks that made him feel so lost, somewhere within him he knew, that as much as Neverland had changed, so had he. It was not just Neverland that could never be the same, Peter couldn't either, not since Wendy had came and left. But that wouldn't stop him from pretending that none of that was true.  
  
"They knew" Wendy told him, tearing him out of his reverie, "that all children must grow up."  
  
"Why?" Peter asked. It was a genuine question, one which Wendy couldn't answer.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wendy and Peter tried to forget that experience. It instilled doubt in them both that they had made the right choice, it made each other into the bad guy, and that was not what they had been waiting all year long for. It was worse than waking up Christmas morning only to find coal, it was more like waking up to discover Santa had forgotten all about you, that you weren't even worth his time. After that they had went off on their own for a while, and then at supper they came back and pretended it had never happened.  
  
Wendy and Peter went through his things, Wendy said they should get rid of anything he wasn't attached to. However, every little knickknack she suggested they throw out he was able to tell an amusing little anecdote about. He had wrestled a Lost Boy for this, and stole that from a pirate, he found this thing while exploring in the forest, and was given that one for rescuing Tiger Lily that time at Skull Rock.  
  
His stories made her smile, his vigor, his delight in them. She didn't have that, but, she realized, as he was delighting her with a tale of Hook's old feathered cap, that none of these stories happened in the last year or so. She wondered if he really still had that feeling, or simply memories of it. And even she had memories. Everyone did.  
  
TBC 


	3. After the Dream

Neverland Away  
  
Chapter 3: After the Dream  
  
Coliseums were being built, Caesar was being murdered. There was Brutus, Caesar trusted him, it lead to his downfall.   
  
Wendy hated history. All these facts, these things that happened hundreds of years ago. In retrospect things made more sense, she could see the mistakes people had made over the years, but she could do nothing at all to change them.  
  
Sitting in the stuffy little classroom where her teacher was giving a lecture about the rise and fall of Rome, Wendy desperately wished she could get some hindsight, without putting the current behind her. She wanted to know if she was making the right choices. ÒBut we can never know that, can we?Ó Wendy thought ÒNo, weÕre alone in this.Ó  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Neverland was quite again. No more laughter, no more smiles. Beautiful smiles.  
  
Peter laughed at himself. He was being overly dramatic. He still had his adventures with the Indians and against the pirates. He still had Tink, his best friend. She was the first friend he could ever remember having. That was all he needed, he tried to convince himself again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
ÒHello, dear?Ó Mrs. Darling called out upon hearing the door open.  
  
ÒItÕs me.Ó Wendy answered walking in and hanging her spring coat in the closet.  
  
ÒHow was school?Ó her mother asked her as she came in to the living room.  
  
Wendy smiled an uncomfortable smile, that to an astute viewer would say ÒIÕm at a loss for wordsÓ. Probably because she was, Wendy didnÕt know what to say. ÔHow was it?Õ Average, normal, as always. But worse now, because sheÕd been in Neverland again, where nothing was ordinary... everything was extraordinary. It was her own fault, she kept going back there, and when she did, she had adventures, she had fun, she had peter. And then ordinary wasnÕt good enough.  
  
Why should ordinary be good enough?  
  
Finally she told her mother, with a teasing grin ÒIt was like the last time you asked me, and the time before that.Ó But wasnÕt, because today she realized something. Neverland was a dream, and everyone knows, after every dream, you wake up. TBC 


	4. Call Out Her Name

Neverland Away  
  
Chapter 4: Call Out Her Name  
  
ÒWanna play catch, Tink?Ó Peter asked, idly throwing a ball in the air. Tink flew over to his face and gave him a sardonic look. ÒHey, itÕs not my fault the ball is twice as big as you, itÕs yours. Why donÕt you work on growing.Ó   
  
Tink raised an eyebrow at him. ÒI donÕt mean up!Ó he quickly corrected himself ÒI just mean larger, so we can play more games!Ó  
  
Tink gave him a distant look and floated away.  
  
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Cheery laughter, some of it was even genuine. Her father had really changed since back before she and her brothers had vanished. It was like he remembered something he had forgotten, or learned something new. Now, he was the one you wanted to talk to at parties and social gatherings. All the genuine laughter was coming from his side of the room.  
  
The social gathering in question was taking place at the Darling home. A work party, built for schmoozing and networking. Still, Wendy found them enjoyable enough. She loved people, she always wanted to know what they felt or thought about things. She loved how there were thousands of answers for one question.  
  
ÒWould you like to dance?Ó that was a question. A fair one, asked by a nice boy. But there was only one answer.  
  
Clean, was what she thought when the young man first walked in to the room. That was the word she thought of to describe him. Not a bad word, by any means, just not enough. The answer, of course, was no.  
  
Since that day over a month ago when she realized that Neverland was only a dream, and that she could never go back... in all honesty, not a lot had changed. Every once in a while her stomach would drop at the thought of never seeing a pirate ship, or a teepee, never once again in her life. And she imagined Peter coming to her window to take her back. How could she say no? She felt sure her soul would go with him, and she would be left on earth a hollow shell. It was the better choice, though. Because when she thought of waking up from Neverland years from now, only to find her parents dead, brothers old, her whole life missed, passed on by. That really was too much to bear. An eternity without them.  
  
SheÕd been trying to socialize more. It wasnÕt hard to find friends, people found her charming. Boys started to call on her. They asked her to dinner and to shows with box seats. She always had plans though, ones sheÕd make right after the invitation was made.  
  
It was bad, she knew that. She should be moving on. And still, she didnÕt want to lie to herself. She couldnÕt give her heart away, not when another boy already had it.  
  
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ÒPeter.Ó  
  
It was a cold foreboding voice.  
  
Peter sailed down to the floor of the pirate ship, and stood, hands on hips, grin breaking out on his face. ÒMiss me?Ó He sarcastically questioned.  
  
ÒActually, no. IÕm glad you could make it on such short notice, though.Ó Smee said matter of factly.  
  
Peter looked at him, wondering what this whole thing was about.  
  
ÒCome, sit down, take a seat, we need to talk.Ó  
  
ÒTalk?Ó Peter asked, puzzled.  
  
Smee smiled ÒThat thing where noises with meaning are exchanged between two or more individuals... or less if theyÕre really lonely or just odd.Ó  
  
Peter walked over to a chair, spun it around backwards and sat down, so he straddled the back of it. He leaned in towards Smee, looked him in the eye and asked ÒHave you lost your mind?Ó  
  
Smee chuckled, seemingly confirming PeterÕs suspicions. ÒAh, who has one nowadays?Ó he questioned Peter.  
  
Peter was about to respond when Smee cut him off. ÒNow, boy, I see it as my duty to help you out.Ó  
  
ÒYup, no minds.Ó Peter sighed exasperatedly.  
  
ÒAre you proving a point?Ó Smee asked.  
  
ÒYour pretty much making it for me.Ó  
  
ÒWhat? No, listen to me, kid. This is an entirely different subject. WeÕre talking about you. Now, your friend is worried about you...Ó Smee told Peter in a very fatherly manner.  
  
Peter cocked his head at Smee. ÒMy friend? What are you talking about.Ó  
  
ÒTink,Ó Smee said leaning towards Peter Òshe came to see me today. She says thereÕs something wrong with you. And I see what it is.Ó  
  
Peter was confused, so he opted for smug arrogance. ÒSo whatÕs the prognosis, doc? Is it deadly?Ó  
  
ÒCould very well be.Ó  
  
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'Follow your dreams' is what that teach when your younger. Maybe that was the moral of life; If you find a Neverland, go hide in it forever. Wendy sighed, angry with herself. She didnÕt have room for a single thought in her head, only second ones.  
  
She hated it, the second guessing and the living in the past. It was simply fear and it had to end.   
  
She had to end it... and Wendy knew what she had to do.  
  
She ran upstairs, and for the first time in years, closed the lock on her window.  
  
Mrs. Darling watched as her daughter reemerged from her room upstairs to the party in the parlor. Wendy looked around the room as if searching for something, and then she saw what. Wendy was heading for a young man from a respectable family. He was a little older than her. She asked him to dance.  
  
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ÒNo IÕm not. I havenÕt grown an inch for as long as I can remember.Ó Peter said, faking a calm.  
  
ÒItÕs not that kind of growing.Ó Smee, who had just told Peter he was no longer a child, informed him.  
  
ÒThat doesnÕt make any sense. Obviously youÕve gone and lost your mind in your old age, IÕll just leave you alone with yourself. Hope youÕll be happy together. Although, if I were you IÕd warn me IÕm not the best conversationalist.Ó  
  
ÒDo you know what that is?Ó Smee asked, vaguely pointing in PeterÕs direction ÒItÕs a defense mechanism. You donÕt want me to know IÕve hit a button. And This is where I think youÕre confused: Growing up doesnÕt mean you start using defense mechanisms, it just means you start to understand that you do. See?Ó  
  
Peter looked at him. ÒI canÕt grow old here.Ó  
  
ÒAnd how do you know that?Ó Smee asked.  
  
ÒNo children in Neverland ever have before.Ó  
  
ÒNo WendyÕs had ever been in Neverland before.Ó  
  
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Street lights began to whiz by. He was getting closer, he could tell. The clock. He was almost there. And then suddenly he was. Peter was staring straight at the Darling home. He flew around back, there was WendyÕs room. The light was off. He flew up to the window. He pulled. He tried again. It must be stuck, the window wouldnÕt open. And then he suddenly became aware of it. Voices were drifting up from the parlor.  
  
It was twilight. Golden light was spilling from the downstairs windows. Peter floated over. He sneaked his head around the side off the window to steal a look. And there she was, his Wendy, with another boy. A clean shaven one, he was old enough to shave.  
  
All those things he told Hook... He would call out to her, he would break the window. But his voice was gone. His strength had left him. He was incapable of movement.  
  
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There was no fairy music.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They were grown ups.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Her feet were on the ground.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Suddenly, all the happy thoughts were gone, and Peter fell.  
  
TBC 


	5. The Biggest Pretend

Neverland Away  
  
Apparently nobody is reading this, but I couldn't end this story on such a depressing note, so I wrote this anyway. If anyone *does* happen to stumble upon this, leave a review PLEASE! It can be as simple as "hey, I know that this story exists." Thanks.  
  
Chapter 5: The Biggest Pretend  
  
Wendy was suddenly very angry at herself. Things didn't feel right, and she was trying to make it so they would. Children thought growing up meant the end of make believe, it didn't. Just the end of the fun kind.  
  
"I have toÐ" Wendy broke away from her dance partner. "I'm just so thirsty."  
  
Wendy excused herself and escaped. It was very hard to give your heart away when someone else already had it. Mrs. Darling had been watching her daughter intently, and decided that they needed to talk.  
  
She walked up beside Wendy, and handed her a slice of cake. She was trying to read what Wendy was thinking, but was unfortunately failing. ÒIs something troubling you?Ó she asked Wendy.  
  
Wendy didnÕt know why the question shocked her. She was always so sure everyone could see what she was thinking, it must be written all over her face. But then she would return from Neverland to a world that seemed lackluster in comparison, and they wouldnÕt see it, how suddenly the world was simply a place again.  
  
The boys had their make-believe, their fun and games. Her father had his work. They were busy, why would they notice. However, now her mother had asked her, she had noticed something. Could Wendy lie, could she just pretend that everything was fine? That the thought of replacing fun with work didnÕt make her feel as if her heart was shriveling into an apricot, or a prune, or any sort of dried fruit. Actually, Wendy had thought a long while during her math lessons as to the object which her heart was becoming. SheÕd finally decided on a dried fruit since it was more practical. Someone could eat it, if need be. Adults were always doing that; thinking practically.  
  
Wendy realized she and her mother had been simply looking at each other for a little bit, both searching for responses.  
  
Finally Wendy spoke, fear in her voice, which was barely above a whisper. ÒDoes it hurt to grow up? Or do you stop feeling it?Ó  
  
But before her mother could answer a crash was heard. It came from the bushes outside. A woman shrieked. "A boy just fell from the sky!"  
  
Wendy ran over to the window to see what it was. The clean man intercepted her path, however. "It could be a burglar. It's too dangerous for you.  
  
Wendy flared up indignantly. "Pardon me?! This is my house, not yours. I'll do what I please in it. And now what I please is to go to the window. If you, could now, please, move out of my way, that would be appreciated."  
  
The young man stood astounded by what had just happened, until Wendy grew impatient and maneuvered herself around him. By that time, the boys, who had been in the nursery, but heard the commotion, had gotten down stairs. "What's going on?" One asked.  
  
Wendy peered outside, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was. Her father came up beside her and asked if she saw anything.  
  
"I can't tell. Can I go outside and see?" Wendy asked.  
  
Her father looked troubled. "I would advise against it, Mr. Darling." a party go-er said "It's funny business, a boy just falling from the sky like that."  
  
Wendy's eyes lit up.   
  
"The sky?" John asked.  
  
"A boy?" added Michael.  
  
Grins broke out on the boys faces. "Peter's returned!" they cried. "I knew he would!"  
  
Chatter broke out among the guests. "They know him?" "How scandalous!" "What in the heavens?"   
  
Mr. Darling heard them, of course, but he had decided what was important to him in life, and didn't care what his guests would think when he said "I'll go with you." to his daughter.  
  
Wendy and George slowly opened the front door, George, still a timid man, poked his head out calling "I'm well equipped to deal with the likes of a burglar!" Wendy rolled her eyes, and squeezed out next to her father.  
  
"Hello, is anybody there?" She called. It was followed by silence, and then the distant sound of a buggy several blocks away. Wendy looked into the bushes under the windows, and she saw the soft glow of the lights reflecting off gold skin. "Look." Wendy said pointing "someone is over there."  
  
She hoped beyond hope it was Peter, but he had just been back so recently. She also feared beyond fear it was him. What would seeing him do to her. She understood that growing up had to be done. In fact, it had already started and there was no going back now.   
  
"It is a boy!" cried her father running toward the unconscious body in the bushes. He reached Peter calling out to his daughter "He's alive, but unconscious. I can't imagine... falling like that? From where? It's not-" he paused, turning to look at Wendy "Those stories you used to tell, this isn't the young man from them?"  
  
Wendy looked at her father a little surprised that he seemed ready to believe that they were more than just stories. "WellÐ" and then a moan from Peter. Wendy ran over to him. "We should get him inside. It's him, it's Peter, it's okay, but we have to get him inside.  
  
Mr. Darling nodded and motioned for Wendy to come help him lift Peter up. They did, and together they pulled him out of the bushes, and then up the stairs back into the house.  
  
"I'm sorry, this party will have to end early. This boy here has been injured. We have to attend to this. I'm so sorry." he said, laying Peter on the couch. To his surprise there were only a few murmurs of disgust amidst the sound of people declaring how caring the Darling's were for helping the mysterious boy.  
  
After all the guests had left, Wendy returned to the living room with a wet cloth. "Peter, can you hear me?" She asked, bending down to sit on the floor beside the couch. She reached out and grabbed his hand "It will be alright, Peter." She whispered "You just have to be strong."  
  
An eye opened. "I tried." he apologized, drifting back to sleep.  
  
"Peter! You haven't failed! Please, don't give up." she cried.  
  
Her father came running back into the room. "We should probably take him to the doctor, he's not looking well."  
  
"He'll be okay, won't he, father?" Michael asked, fright evident in his voice.  
  
"I'd imagine so, as long as we get him the proper help." he encouraged. "I'll take him now. John, help me get him to the carriage."  
  
"Can I come?" Wendy asked, but her father thought it would be best if she stayed behind. After he and John had left she and Michael stayed up nervously.  
  
"Why don't you two get some sleep. There probably won't be any news until morning." Mrs. Darling suggested.  
  
"I couldn't get any sleep," Wendy explained "Not even if you hit me in the head with a rock... a large one."  
  
Her mother gave a small laugh "So, you know that boy? From where?"  
  
"Oh, mother," Michael whined "Don't start with that." There was silence for a while until finally Michael asked Wendy if she would wake him as soon as any news came, and he headed up for bed.  
  
Wendy sat still reflecting on Peter until she realized she was about to cry. "Need any cleaning to be done?" Wendy asked getting up and turning her back to fix the pillows, but her voice betrayed her distress.  
  
Her mother froze and looked at her daughter. Suddenly she realized, however mature Wendy could be, however astounding her grasp of adult concepts was, she was still only a girl, and she was frightened. But it was more than just the boy, she had been acting strangely all night- no, longer than that, though she had no idea how long.  
  
Wendy realized her mother had reached out and engulfed her in a huge hug. Wendy was thankful for the comfort, she felt safe. But then her mother grabbed her shoulders and held her at arms length to look her in the eye.  
  
ÒSometimes,Ó she stated Òit does hurt. And itÕs hard... But itÕs worth it, I can promise you that. The understanding you get, a child canÕt have.Ó She stopped to try and tell if Wendy really understood her, finally she continued ÒBut thereÕs something you have to remember, there are two ways to grow up, and this is something my mother told me when I was little, and didn't really understand until just now. One is, you can kill the little child in you,Ó the Hook method, Wendy thought Òor, the other, you can let her live... and grow. This girl...Ó she said, kissing WendyÕs forehead ÒdoesnÕt ever have to go away.Ó   
  
Wendy clung to her mother as a tear slid down her face.  
  
TBC 


	6. A Kiss

Neverland Away  
  
I'm glad to know I'm not just vainly writing this for myself. Thanks, guys! Also, I don't know much (translation: anything) about 1900's medical anything, so bare with me!  
  
Chapter 6 A Kiss  
  
The sun was beginning to rise by the time Mr. Darling returned home. The second Wendy heard the door she was on her feet.  
  
"Is he okay, daddy? Is he with you?" Wendy asked as her father walked in.  
  
He was silent.  
  
"He's okay, isn't he...?" Wendy asked, her voice betraying the fear and uncertainty she tried to conceal.  
  
"There's no change. The doctors don't know what to do." He solemnly replied.  
  
"I want to go see him." She asked. She saw her father's mouth open in a way that said 'I'm about to give you all the reasonable explanations of why that wouldn't work' and interrupted him. "I have to."  
  
And somehow suddenly it was all clear to him. "As soon as the sun has risen."  
  
Wendy gave an affirmative nod and ran upstairs to change out of last night's party clothes. When she was done she sat on the side of her bed to gather her thoughts while she impatiently waited for the sun to ascend above the buildings. She wondered what she would say to Peter if he were to wake up, and what she would do if he never did. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Are you ready, Wendy?" Her father asked.  
  
Wendy sprung to her feet and opened the door, "Let's go," she pleaded.  
  
The hospital Peter had been taken to, The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, wasn't too far from the Darling home, especially by carriage, and she and her father reached it in a matter of minutes.  
  
"Hello," Mr. Darling said to a nurse at the front desk, "I'm here to see Peter Darling."  
  
The nurse nodded and checked the sheet in front of her "Room 117." She answered. Mr. Darling thanked her and took Wendy down a corridor. They passed through a small waiting room, and just a little bit further ahead they found room 117.  
  
"Wendy, I'll leave you your privacy." Mr. Darling said heading back for the waiting room. She would have hated to admit it, but she was scared standing in the entrance to Peter's room all alone.  
  
Wendy saw his small frame laying in the bed. As she stepped into the room she searched for the word that best described him at that moment, it was a writer's habit she had gotten in to: serene, peaceful, calm... empty. The last one made her intake a breath sharply. She ran to the bed and grabbed Peter's hand. "Peter," she said, holding back tears "It's not like you think at all, I learned that today. You can grow up however you like, and I'd much like to do it with you. So please wake up, please. There's so many adventures left."  
  
Peter didn't budge.  
  
"Oh, Peter!" She cried, "I don't know what to do! What will make you come back?" And then she remembered, on the pirate ship. Peter had fallen because he'd lost all his happy thoughts, and she had kissed him and he flew. Wendy turned around to make sure her father was still out of sight in the waiting room. "Please wake up." she pleaded "Like in the stories. Do you remember your cue? It's when I kiss you, you open your eyes, okay? Ready?" Wendy was hesitant, if this didn't work, she'd lose all hope. She thought about not doing it, just in order to hold on to that hope, luckily that thought was discarded.  
  
She hesitantly leaned over him, whispering "Wake up." just before kissing him softly on his lips.  
  
He was still, nothing changed- or more accurately: Wendy thought nothing changed. Tears began to cloud her eyes. She slipped down onto the floor and began to silently sob, every once in a while taking a huge gasp of air. She didn't see Peter begin to glow, but then how an you blame her? Not only was she sobbing into her lap, but tears distorted her vision.  
  
It was only a little while later when Peter slowly opened his eyes, and sat up. Wendy didn't hear him, she was in the process of a rather loud gasp.  
  
"Wendy lady?" he asked. Wendy continued to cry, "Wendy lady, why are you crying?"  
  
Wendy heard him that time. Her head shot up, and she slowly, full of fear he'd still be lying in it, turned to look at the bed. But he was there, sitting up and looking at her questioningly.  
  
A smile formed on her tear drenched face, and it's quite impossible in the history of the world that anyone ever looked any happier than she did in that moment.  
  
"It doesn't matter, Peter. I don't have to cry any more." She answered.  
  
TBC 


	7. Open Windows

Neverland Away   
  
"I think one remains the same person throughout life, merely passing, as it were, in these lapses of time from one room to another, but all in the same house. If we unlock the rooms of the far past we can peer in and see ourselves, busily occupied in beginning to become you and me." -J.M. Barrie   
  
Chapter 7 Open Windows   
  
Mr. Darling and Wendy took Peter home later that day. When they returned, all the boys cheered to see that their friend was well once again. "Peter," they asked "How is Neverland?" And a twinkle would gleam in Peter's eye as he told them all about how things had changed since the boys had left. Finally that night when the excitement calmed down and the boys went to bed, Peter whispered to Wendy that he needed to talk to her.   
  
"Yes, Peter?" she asked, nervously sitting across from him.   
  
"I didn't hear you as you said it," Peter explained "But now I remember exactly what you said."   
  
"What I said?" Wendy asked, confused.   
  
"Yes, about what it's like to grow up." he clarified before continuing, "How do you know?"   
  
Wendy looked away, afraid he'd become upset with her. "Well, I've been doing quite a bit of it while you were gone." She sheepishly looked up and hastily added "And also, a grown-up told me!"   
  
"A grown up, really? So they decided how they would grow up, and did it that way? They still had fun and adventures?" Peter asked. In all honesty, Wendy was a bit surprised, it seemed like he was actually considering growing up.   
  
"Yes!" she hopefully cried, but then her tone changed. She realized it would be unfair to him not to let him in on the whole story "Of course you know Peter, there are responsibilities. You have to get a job, but it can be any job you like. And you have to go to school, but you can hear all sorts of stories about Napoleon, or Romeo and Juliet, or anything in the world. And of course there's paying for things you like instead of just taking them, and taxes, there's really no upside to that... But most of all you can always believe in fairies. Always and forever, Peter!"   
  
"But you said I would always have your thimble, and you danced with another boy." Peter coaxed imploringly.   
  
Wendy made an effort to look into Peter's eyes "I know, Peter. People don't always make the best choices." she explained.   
  
"I suppose if I grew up I'd understand." Peter said. Peter had began to realize that Tinker Bell and Smee were right, he had felt something grown up and couldn't exactly go back to being what he was before that moment, no matter how much he wished he could.   
  
Wendy silently looked at Peter, hopefully wondering what he was thinking. Peter could tell, and he smiled at her. Wendy's eyes lit up and she smiled back. He distinctly noticed something on the right side of her mouth he could tell was his... a kiss.  
"I think it's funny," he said, "That I should hate to grow up so much, when in our home under the ground I played father and you played mother. Aren't those very grown up things to be?"   
  
Wendy nodded, with a sophisticated smile on her face. "I suppose they are."  
  
Peter could often be found in Kensington Gardens visiting Tink, and Wendy finished her book in three parts about her adventures. Eventually the two no longer had to play at being mother and father. Luckily for them Wendy's book was such a success (even though people thought it was just a fantasy story). The point is, it paid all the expenses, because Peter decided to be a writer too, though one of plays (so he could see his dreams come to life before his very eyes, and make actors say silly things like "I'm a codfish!"). Every night they told their children stories in the nursery. One time they saw a shadow floating independently about the room. It seems as if a baby had fallen out of his pram and run away.   
  
The most important thing I think you can take from this story is also the most simple: Always believe in fairies. You see, Some people say when you are a child and when you are an adult, you are two separate people. This, however, is entirely untrue. There is no need to kill of little you, just so you can become a larger wiser version. More accurately, you are always the same person who changes over time. With every moment of your life, you stay in the same house, but continually discover and move through new rooms in it. Unfortunately, it is true that as you leave one room for another, the doors close behind you and lock. But, the thing is... the windows are always open, And adventure is always just a Neverland away.   
  
The End 


End file.
